Love Sees More 3: Greyback's Pack

Chapter 5 - The Insubordinate

All too soon, Remus was back at Greyback's compound. It was the very last place he wanted to be at the moment, especially with tomorrow night's task looming ahead of him. He couldn't believe he had let Sirius and Dumbledore talk him into it; that thought alone almost made him feel like he was going to go crazy, but he tried to push it as far from his mind as possible. There was something else that required his attention right now - getting back into his cell undetected.

It would have been so much easier if he could actually Apparate inside his cell, but Dumbledore didn't think it would be wise. When the compound had been a werewolf colony, there had been anti-Apparition wards over the entire place. If there were still any remnants left of those wards, it could be very dangerous to even attempt Apparition or Disapparition inside of the compound itself. It could very easily lead to splinching, and Remus could just imagine the other werewolves' reactions if they found only part of him there in the morning - or what they'd do to him as a result.

Remus stood at the edge of the forest, his eyes scanning the many shacks and buildings. Everything looked dark and quiet. The only thing he currently heard was the lazy chirping of crickets around him. The rest of the pack had probably already returned from their nightly hunt and were asleep. Or so Remus hoped. He took a deep breath and started creeping back towards his shack, just like he had done on that first night three long weeks ago.

Just then, he heard voices from somewhere towards the back of the colony, in the direction of the cave. Remus's breath caught in his throat, and he temporarily froze in his spot. His heart thudded in his chest before he forced himself to get moving. He sprinted the last several feet to his shack, pressing himself up against the outer wall. He held his breath and waited as the voices drew closer.

"It's absolute rubbish is what it is," said a voice that Remus immediately recognized as Talon's. "Wasting a perfectly good boy like that on Lupin. Greyback's losing it in his old age."

Talon's companion snorted. "Don't let him hear you say that. You've been in enough trouble as it is."

It took Remus a moment, but he finally realized that the second werewolf was Bruno Canin. He was a gamma wolf, just one rank below Talon. They were almost always together, but Remus doubted it was because they liked each other. Rather, Remus suspected that Canin was after Talon's position of Greyback's second-in-command.

"Not for long," Talon said. "There's no way Lupin's going to bite that boy. I mean, can you see him biting anyone?"

"Nah. He's too much of a wimp," Canin agreed. "Greyback likes us submissive, yes, but he also likes us to have some tenacity. Lupin wouldn't know the meaning of that word if it bit him in the arse."

"Which is why," Talon said, "he's going to fail. And when he does, I'll be rewarded for seeing all along what a fake he is. I'll be back on Greyback's good side in no time."

"Er…are you sure about that?" Canin asked. "Greyback doesn't like to be proven wrong, you know."

"I'm not going to rub his face in it or anything!" Talon exclaimed. "But he'll be proud of me for never once trusting Lupin."

"Sure he will," Canin said sarcastically. Before Talon could respond (because Remus suspected he had quite a few things to say to that), Canin went on, "So what are you going to do now?"

A long moment of silence passed and Remus could hear their footsteps drawing ever closer. Remus bit his bottom lip, wondering what he should do. He desperately hoped they wouldn't come around to his side of the building, because if they found him, this would all be over. Everything he had done over the last three weeks would be in vain. Remus pressed himself as hard as he could into the side of the shack, almost imagining that he was blending into it.

"I'm just going to…rattle him a bit," Talon finally spoke.

Remus's heart pounded even harder, because Talon sounded impossibly close. He couldn't have been more than ten feet away, just around the corner of the building. Remus didn't dare move, didn't even dare to draw a breath.

"Get him nervous, you know?" Talon continued. "Let him know that I know how limited his time here is, and once everyone is aware of what a liar he…he won't know what hit him." Talon laughed in that sickening way that Remus was sure he had learned from Greyback. "He'll be even more unlikely then to do a satisfactory job tomorrow night."

"Oh, I get it," Canin said. "Give him a bit of…stage fright, hm?"

"Exactly," said Talon, sounding extraordinarily pleased with himself. "Now excuse me for a moment."

The door to Remus's shack squeaked open and Remus silently cursed himself. If only he had arrived ten minutes earlier, because once they found out he was gone, his time here would be over. The last three weeks had been in vain after all. His heart thundered so loudly, he was sure the others would be able to hear it.

After what seemed like one of the longest moments of Remus's life, Talon emerged from the shack. "Well," he said to Canin, "it looks like he did chicken out after all. He's gone."

"What?" Canin asked, sounding slightly disbelieving.

"Lupin's gone," Talon repeated. "Look for yourself - absolutely no sign of him."

A small laugh escaped from Canin. "You're kidding! Greyback is going to be furious."

"I know," Talon said, barely able to control his joy. "Dunno what Lupin even came here for in the first place. It was so obvious he didn't belong. I'm going to go tell Greyback that he's gone. Want to come?"

"Of course," Canin said, "and then Greyback will let us hunt him down. I can't wait! I can even taste the blood now."

Remus could hear their voices retreating, back towards Greyback's shack. Remus knew he had one of two options. He could either run for the tree line and hope that he could Disapparate before anyone saw him, or he could try and sneak back into his cell and pretend he had no idea what Talon and Canin were on about.

He only had a split second to decide, but the indecision seemed to freeze him to his spot nonetheless. But deep down, Remus still didn't want his time here to be over. He knew he could find out so much more if he stayed, and like he told Dumbledore, he wasn't about to give up just yet.

Holding his breath, Remus stayed pressed into the wall of the building and snuck around the corner. The door to his shack stood wide open, as if waiting for him. Talon and Canin were off in the distance, pounding on the door of Greyback's shack, trying to rouse him. Greyback despised being disturbed in the middle of the night, and that just may buy Remus the time he needed.

As quietly as possible, Remus crept along the building and climbed up the three small stairs to the shack. He reached for the key above the door, unlocked his cell with it, and returned the key to the nail. Remus pulled the extra pillow from his cot and threw it back on the bed in the cell across from his. He reentered his cell and pulled the door closed, which screeched loudly as it went. Remus flinched, but Greyback was currently yelling at the top of his lungs for being disturbed, providing the perfect distraction.

Remus dropped onto his bed and pulled the covers over his head, lying as still as possible. His heart pounded and his breathing was now harsh and heavy, but he tried to calm himself as much as he could. He couldn't quite believe that sneaking back in had been that easy; now he just had to convince Greyback that he had been here the entire time. It was his word against Talon's and considering Greyback's current feelings for his second-in-command, Remus wasn't too worried.

"I'm telling you, Talon," Greyback shouted as they approached Remus's shack, "if this is a false alarm, you are going to be in very hot water."

"It's not a false alarm, sir," Talon said, the excitement still evident in his voice. "He's gone. I saw his cell empty."

Their footsteps grew louder until finally, Greyback stomped up the stairs into the shack. Remus still didn't move, pretending to be sound asleep under his covers. The moments seemed to stretch and no one said a thing.

"TALON!" Greyback roared. "Get the hell in here!"

Remus then pretended to wake, stirring and pulling the covers away from his face. He squinted up at Greyback, trying his best to look sleepy and confused. "Sir?" he mumbled.

"Just a moment, Lupin," Greyback said. "I'm having a problem with the help again."

Talon entered the shack next and even in the darkened room, his eyes seemed to bug out of his head at the sight of Remus. Greyback grabbed the back of Talon's neck and shoved him into the bars of Remus's cell.

"Tell me, Talon," Greyback said, "what do you see?"

"L-Lupin."

"Funny, that," Greyback commented, shoving Talon out of the way again. Greyback turned to Remus and explained, "Talon woke me just a few minutes ago, claiming that you, Lupin, had disappeared from your cell." He looked quizzically at Remus. "Do you have any idea why he would say such a thing?"

Remus swallowed, his eyes darting to Talon and back to Greyback. "No, sir. None."

"HE WAS GONE!" Talon cried. "Not more than five minutes ago! HE WAS GONE! Honest, sir."

"CANIN!" Greyback roared next. "Get in here!"

Canin stumbled up the stairs next, looking frightened at all the yelling that had already transpired. "Sir?"

"Did you actually see Lupin's cell empty?" Greyback inquired.

"No, sir," Canin answered. "I was outside the entire time…I just know what Talon told me."

Greyback nodded as if he had been expecting that. "That's what I thought. You may go then, Canin. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, sir," Canin said. He shot Talon an apologetic look before he glared at Remus. Then he turned on his heel and was gone.

"It would seem that we have a situation here," Greyback said conversationally. "The word of Talon, my second-in-command, against that of Lupin, a lowly zeta." He grinned, his fanglike teeth shining even in the dark.

Talon still looked pleased with himself, despite the fact that Greyback had just been shouting at him. Perhaps Remus shouldn't have been so certain that Greyback would believe him. As much as Talon was on Greyback's bad side at the moment, he had still been a part of the pack for a lot longer than Remus had; that had to count for something.

Greyback glanced back and forth between Remus and Talon, looking deep in thought. Next, Greyback reached for the key above the door and unlocked Remus's cell with it. "Up," he ordered.

Remus quickly scrambled up from his bed, trying desperately to control his erratic breathing. What if Greyback didn't believe him? What if Greyback had already sided with Talon? What if Remus was now going to be punished for it? Remus longed for that moment when he had made his decision to come back. Why hadn't he just left like he really wanted to?

Greyback stalked into his cell and fisted his hands in the front of Remus's robes. He forced Remus back against the wall, pressing himself up against Remus just like he had done that very first night. Greyback watched him closely and then sniffed loudly, as if smelling him.

"Did you leave your cell tonight for any reason?" Greyback growled. "Do keep in mind that I do not tolerate lies!"

"No, sir," Remus immediately responded as firmly as he could. He was almost going to elaborate, but he stopped himself; he remembered reading somewhere that liars often added explanations to their lies to make themselves appear more convincing.

"You've been here all night long?" Greyback asked. "Since dinner?"

"Yes, sir."

Greyback suddenly let go of him, turned, and paced back out of the cell. "One of you is clearly lying to me," Greyback said, his eyes going back and forth between Remus and Talon once more. "The question is, which one?"

No one said anything. Remus had expected Talon to defend himself further, but it seemed that he had finally learned to hold his tongue.

Greyback took a few steps closer to Talon. "You know," Greyback said, "I was wondering what in the hell you were even doing in Remus's shack in the middle of the night. You are my beta, and you do have permission to go anywhere in the compound that you like, but why here? What business could you possibly have with Remus that couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

Talon's eyes widened, almost as if he couldn't believe that he was the one now being interrogated. "I…none, sir."

"Then what on earth were you doing in here?" Greyback asked, sounding oddly pleasant.

Remus and Talon both knew the answer to that, but they also both knew that it wasn't one which Greyback would appreciate. Talon didn't respond.

"Answer me," Greyback ordered, his voice growing impatient. When Talon still didn't say anything, Greyback chuckled. "I find it funny. You have more than enough to say when you're not supposed to, but when I order you to speak, you can't think of anything at all." He licked his lips, looked Talon up and down, and then grabbed the front of the younger werewolf's robes. "You know what I think?" Greyback snarled. "I think you had a very good reason for being in here. Perhaps you wanted to cause some…trouble for Remus before his big test, hm?"

"No, sir!"

Greyback shook his head. "I don't believe you. You've hated Remus from the moment he's set foot here and you've constantly been questioning him and my decision to let him in. This is just more of the same from you, and as I've told you before, if it doesn't stop, I will need to reconsider my decision of making you my second-in-command!"

"Sir," Talon whined, "I'm sorry, but I wasn't lying! He was gone just a few minutes ago! Honest! I wouldn't lie about…"

"SILENCE!" Greyback roared, giving Talon shake. Then he pushed Talon back and slammed him into the wall. Remus could feel the entire shack shake beneath his feet from the force. "I did not ask for your opinion, but once again, you felt the need to give it to me anyway!" Greyback's eyes were wide, and Remus didn't think he had ever seen Greyback this angry before. Oh, he had lost his temper with a few werewolves during Remus's time there, but never quite as much as this.

If Remus admitted it to himself, a tiny part of him felt entertained with this recent turn of events. Talon had been so certain he was going to get Remus in trouble, but it had backfired. It was oddly satisfying. Then again, Remus hated seeing any of other werewolves punished, even if it was Talon.

"If you can't give me a good reason for being in here," Greyback said, "I have no choice but to believe Remus."

"Sir…I'm your second-in-command! I wouldn't…"

"I said a good reason for being in here!" Greyback interrupted. "Not more of your sniveling!"

Talon opened and closed his mouth several times, but nothing came out. He remained silent.

"Very well," Greyback said. He pulled Talon away from the wall and then pushed him once again, this time out the door of the shack. Talon stumbled over the threshold and tumbled down the stairs to the ground. "Go to the mess hall and wait there. I have to think about what I'm going to do with you."

From his position, Remus couldn't see him any longer, but he heard Talon scampering off towards the back of the colony.

Greyback turned to look at Remus once more. Remus hadn't moved from where Greyback had left him; he was still pressed up against the wall of his cell.

"I'm sorry, Remus," Greyback sighed.

Remus's eyes widened; in all of his time here, he had never heard Greyback apologize to anyone for anything. Remus had always assumed Greyback was above such things.

Greyback smiled, as if amused by Remus's expression. He walked over to the cell, placing his hands on the bars. "As I've told you," Greyback said, "you've never once disobeyed or defied me. That does count for something. Edmund, on the other hand, has been misbehaving left and right since you got here. It's actually quite embarrassing to have my second-in-command acting up like this, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out which one of you is lying now."

Remus had to struggle to contain the smile and laugh that threatened to escape him. Instead, he plastered a grateful expression on his face and bowed his head. "Thank you, sir."

"You've still got a few hours left till breakfast," Greyback went on. "Why don't you try and get some more sleep? You do have a long night ahead of you today."

Nodding, Remus moved back towards his bed.

Greyback pulled the cell door closed again, the bars squealing as they went. "Edmund, however, will not be so lucky." That horrible smile was back, twisting itself across Greyback's lips like some horrid insect. "But don't let that concern you. Get some rest."

Greyback left him alone, Remus's heart still pounding hard against his ribs. He took several deep breaths and buried his head in his hands, trying to calm himself. Remus was certain he had been caught, certain that all of his time here had been a waste, certain that he was going to be punished for sneaking out. But somehow, inexplicably, it had turned out in his favor, and Talon was the one who was now facing discipline.

Remus didn't very much sleep at all. What little time he did have left to sleep, he spent worrying about the task that lay ahead of him that night. He did drift off occasionally out of pure exhaustion, but those bits of sleep were few and far between. And even when sleep did come to him, it was plagued with horrific images of what awaited him that night.

Much too soon, Greyback had returned to wake Remus for breakfast. Something, however, was very different about Greyback this morning. He appeared to be in an even fouler mood than usual. Remus wasn't exactly surprised given what had happened with Talon, but Remus sometimes wondered if Greyback was capable of being any angrier than he normally was. Not to mention, Greyback's entire right hand was swollen and covered in blood. Remus was curious as to whether that had anything at all to do with Talon or something else entirely.

"Up," Greyback ordered, retrieving the key and opening Remus's cell door.

Remus did as he was told and followed Greyback to the mess hall just like he did every morning. He didn't dare say a word, not even to inquire about Talon. Remus didn't think that would be a very welcome subject at the moment.

When Remus entered the mess hall, he noticed that Talon wasn't among them. The second-in-command always stood at the front and center of the group, but he was nowhere to be seen. Remus's stomach did a somersault. He definitely disliked Talon, but Remus hadn't wanted anything horrible to happen to him, and especially not because of him.

Greyback entered next, looking around the room to make sure everyone was present. "Good, everyone's here, I see." He started pacing back and forth in front of the group. "As some of you are aware, we had a bit of a situation this morning. Talon made some crazy accusations towards Remus which turned out to be false. As a result, Talon has been demoted."

A murmur of whispers went through the crowd. Several of the werewolves stared at Remus, and he could feel his cheeks growing warm.

"I don't believe I asked any of you to speak!" Greyback yelled. When the voices died down, Greyback continued, "As I was saying, Talon has been demoted, so the position of my second-in-command is open at the moment. Before we get to that, however…come on out, Edmund. Show them what happens when I am deliberately lied to!"

Everything was still and silent, but then some of the werewolves in back of the room moved out of the way. It was then that Remus realized that Talon had been in the room the entire time; he had just been at the back of the crowd.

The former second-in-command finally moved to the front of the room, but he was nothing more than a shadow of what he had been just a few short hours ago. When Remus had first joined the pack, Talon stood tall and proud, very happy with the position he held and not afraid to show it. Now, it looked like he had been…destroyed. Remus shivered inwardly at his thoughts, but there was no other word for it.

Talon's dark hair was an absolute mess, sticking up in all directions. Remus tried not to think about the fact that it distinctly reminded him of James and Harry. Talon's robes were a disaster, even more so than usual. Large holes had been torn into the fabric, exposing pale patches of skin. That, however, was not what was so startling. He was also covered in fresh bruises and blood. Talon's left eye was nearly swollen shut, surrounded by a patch of bright red skin. Remus imagined that it would be turning to a sickly shade of purple within the day. His bottom lip had also been torn open, several trails of blood currently drying on his chin. A large pool of blood was also forming under his nose, and Remus wondered if it had been broken.

Talon was hunched over, one arm wrapped around his stomach. His eyes were pinned on the floor, not daring to look up at anyone. Not even to glare at Remus like he normally did.

"Let this be a lesson to all of you," Greyback went on, continuing to stalk back and forth. "I am tired of having to repeat myself, but I see that I must, because some of you have clearly forgotten. I decide who is and who is not worthy of being in this pack. I have deemed every single one of you worthy to enter and stay. We have also had those who were not worthy, and we all know what happened to them. Right now, Remus is here because I say he stays. If there's anyone here who disagrees, please speak up now so that we can clear the air."

No one said anything. No one even moved a muscle. Not even Talon.

"Very good," Greyback hummed happily. "Then I trust that we won't have any more issues like we did this morning." He stopped in front of Talon, gesturing to the younger werewolf. "This is what happens when you question me. This is what happens when you lie to me! This is what happens when you DEFY ME!"

Greyback's voice echoed throughout the mess hall, causing Remus to flinch. He was starting to feel worse by the second, and once again, he wished that he had left the compound when he had had the chance.

"Talon," Greyback said, "tell them what rank you hold now."

Talon's eyes darted up to Greyback and then quickly down to the floor again. "Epsilon," Talon said, his voice nothing more than a whisper.

"Epsilon," Greyback repeated. "Only one rank above our newcomer. How quickly they fall," he said more to himself than to the room. He turned to face Talon again, looking down his nose at him. "And how quickly they rise. At this time tomorrow, Remus may well be above you."

Talon continued to stare down at the floor, which made Greyback grin, nearly every single one of his teeth showing. "Now," Greyback went on, resuming his pacing, "I do, of course, need a new beta. They just don't make them like they used to." He paused and laughed. "I will be thinking very carefully over the next few days which one of you most deserves that position. And please, no sucking up to me before then." Greyback rolled his eyes. "It just makes you look desperate."

Greyback waited for a few moments and then said, "I believe that's all for this morning. Don't forget that Remus is being tested tonight, but I will talk more about that before lunch, so you may all go to breakfast now."

The other werewolves quietly filed out of the mess hall. No one spoke for fear of upsetting Greyback and putting themselves in Talon's position. Talon, meanwhile, still hadn't moved from his spot. He remained hunched over, now rubbing fresh blood away from his nostrils with the sleeve of his robes. Greyback didn't seem to care. He motioned for Remus to follow him and left the shack.

That was when Talon finally looked up at Remus. The eye that wasn't swollen shut was narrowed in hatred. "I know you were gone last night," Talon said, his voice sounding like he had been gargling with broken glass. "Greyback chose not to believe me, but I know the truth. I will find out what you're up to and I will be rewarded when I prove it."

Remus stood up as straight as he could. "I don't know what you think you saw," Remus said nonchalantly, "but I didn't go anywhere last night. It was dark. You must have been imagining things."

"I know what I saw!" Talon said as loudly as he was capable. "You don't fool me for a second."

"I still don't know what you're talking about," Remus said calmly. "I'm not trying to fool anyone." He threw his head back and turned on his heel, following Greyback. Remus wondered when lying had become so easy for him.

Greyback hadn't even waited for him. The older werewolf had already gone into the forest and was currently chasing after some poor unfortunate creature. That made Remus feel slightly better - that Greyback trusted him enough to let him out of his sight more often.

Sighing, Remus found a spot under a tree like he usually did. There was a small raspberry bush nearby, which he pulled a few berries from. He still wasn't feeling very hungry, but he knew it was going to be a long day, and that he should try and keep his strength up at least.

Althea, of course, could always be counted on to keep him company. She licked at her lips as she approached him, looking very pleased with herself. Remus tried not to think about what she could have possibly eaten.

"Hey," she said, plopping down next to him. She took a moment to smooth down her hair and straighten her robes before she continued. "Talon was in so much trouble this morning. I was up early and heard Greyback yelling at him. You should have seen it - I don't think I've ever heard Greyback that loud before." She sounded amused.

Remus couldn't keep the smile from spreading across his face, and he wasn't quite sure why. As much as he disliked Talon, and despite the fact that Talon was doing everything in his power to discredit him, Remus still didn't take joy in seeing the werewolf get beaten up. Remus shook his head, trying to focus on the conversation instead. "He accused me of sneaking out last night."

Althea's blue eyes grew large and round, then she frowned. "You didn't, did you?"

Remus smirked. "Would I still be here if I had?"

"No," Althea giggled. "But…what did Talon hope to accomplish from that?"

"No idea," Remus said, shrugging. "Did he ever make crazy accusations like that with you?"

"Well, you know he accused me of being a spy like he does with everyone," Althea said, "but that's about it. He never went running to Greyback, claiming that I snuck out or anything."

"Maybe he's losing it," Remus snickered.

"Remus, he lost it a long time ago, believe me." Almost as an afterthought, she added, "Everyone here does."

"So why are you so normal?"

Althea didn't respond, but she watched him closely. A small breeze flittered through the clearing, lifting her dirty blond hair back from her neck. She shook her head, enjoying the feel of the air along her skin. "Dunno," she finally answered, her eyes closed. "Haven't been here long enough, I suppose."

"Well, I hope you don't lose it," Remus said. "Who would I talk to then?"

"That makes two of us," Althea said seriously, meeting his gaze. "Please don't go mental on me, all right?"

Remus smiled. "I'll try not to."

"Are you afraid for tonight?" she asked suddenly.

Remus took a deep and shuddering breath. "Out of my mind."

"Have you ever bitten anyone before?"

Remus wondered if perhaps her questions were a result of much more than curiosity. Maybe she was asking questions on Greyback's orders, or maybe she was trying to find out more about him so that she could go to Greyback with it. But for some reason, Remus couldn't lie to her, even though he probably knew that he should. "No," he said. And I never will if I can help it…at least not for real, he thought. "Did you…bite anyone before your test?"

Althea shook her head. "Nope, but don't worry. It's no big deal, and then you won't have to sleep in that tiny little cell anymore."

Remus didn't reply, but he thought that sleeping in that cell for the rest of his life was preferable to biting anyone. How on earth could these werewolves bite a child - or anyone, for that matter - and go on with their lives like it had been nothing? Remus couldn't even begin to fathom that. He knew they lived like animals and had little regard for humans, but the idea was still completely foreign to him.

It then occurred to Remus that he had been extremity lucky so far. Getting into the pack and onto Greyback's good side had been far easier than he had anticipated, and he started to wonder when his luck was going to run out.

To be continued...